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I’m more than ready for springtime. Like, now. Warm weather, gentle breezes, and long days recharge my batteries. It’s been a mild winter here, so I have no right to complain, oh but complain I will. Because I Need Spring.
I’ve been encouraged by the progress in my garden, in which all sorts of flowers have been popping up. Other than the pansies that made it through the winter, I didn’t plant any of these flowers. They just sort of show up each year. I have a Darwinian approach to my garden. Survival of the fittest.
It’s always the crocuses that surprise me. I’ll be minding my own business, cursing the stupid cold days, when they start making their appearance. Suddenly there’s hope that spring is around the corner. God Bless the crocuses. My love for these simple plants led to my Poetry Friday selection. Crocuses
They pierce the thin skin of snow
with narrow swords of green
to clear the way for colors —
purple, yellow, lavender,
petals huddled close, guarding
the treasure: a lode of gold dust  This little gem is from the charming collection Tap Dancing on the Roof: Sijo (Poems), by Linda Sue Park. Sijo is a traditional Korean form of poetry written using a syllabic structure. Written in English, the sijo in this book have fourteen to sixteen syllables divided evenly into either three or six lines. The last line of the these poems contains some twist, “humor or irony, an unexpected image, a pun, or a play on words.” In the beginning of the book, Park offers an explanation for the poetry style, and in notes at the end offers ways to turn the poetry reader into the poet. Her poems are delightful, focusing on the everyday world of the child. Throughout the book the spare, simple illustrations of Istvan Banyai complement the work perfectly.
Posted in May, 2008
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